Misery at Gallipoli: ANZAC Troops storm Cape Helles

Prior to WWI, The Dardanelles, or the channel of water that connected the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, that was in the heart of the Ottoman Empire, had been a hot topic for the world. Every single Empire was concerned about the region, because for it came with strategic power. For the Germans, the railroad that connected Berlin to Baghdad ran over the Dardanelles, and so for Germany, control of the region was important to keep a hold on the railroad. At the same time, the English, fearful of the Germans, felt that they needed to control the region to stop a functional railroad from an enemy Empire into the Middle East, where they had important oil contracts with Persia. Russia needed the Dardanelles because the Black Sea would freeze in the winter, so the Dardanelles presented a route (and the only route) into the all-weather ports of the Mediterranean. For the Turks, who were in possession of the waters, the northern half of the water was the European part of the Empire, and thus a foothold in Europe. Holding both sides was also profitable for the Empire. It was evident that the Dardanelles would be a key location during the war.

On April 25th, 1915, The largest of all ANZAC forces (Australia New Zealand Army Corps.) was gathered at the tip of the Dardanelles, and, backed up with dreadnoughts and other warships, stormed the beaches of Cape Helles and ANZAC Cove. The forces were spread evenly between the Cape and Cove, and immediately there was bloodbath. When the British ships attempted to sail up the Strait and storm the area, they were met with Ottoman fire from both sides, mines, and issues due to shallow waters. They had to retreat, (inducing more casualties), and then attempted to storm the beaches.

As the men attempted to storm Gallipoli, the casualties were tremendous at every location they stormed. At every single landing point, men were being killed from the start, and whoever survived, would not last much longer. Because the fighting slowed down on the beaches, men ran out of ammunition and were left with nothing but their bayonets. As their last attempt, the tried to storm the beaches with nothing but their bayonets, but

were helplessly mowed down. There was nothing they could do to stop the slaughter. Casualties on each beach ranged from 70-100% of the battalions. The Ottomans received backup as waves of ANZAC men fell, and the overwhelming Ottoman force destroyed everything that came at it, and the Allies finally conceded defeat after losing 141,000 men. The British had learned an important lesson.

The invasion of Gallipoli was a costly one, as thousands of men were lost due to poor planning, failed attacks, and the inability to push back Ottoman forces before backups arrived. The defeat hurt public opinion of the war. Australia and New Zealand saw the defeat as a baptism by fire, a birth of two independent nations, and the Ottomans saw it as proof that, despite their decline in the early 1900's, were meant to last. This was not true, because, with the help of the Arabs, the Ottomans would see their empire collapse after the war, and a secular, new Turkey born from it.

Landing At Cape Helles

Storming the Beaches

The Ottomans were well-prepared

Men were always dying

Men were being cut down by the thousands

Regardless, they continued to storm

Ottoman Trenches

The ottomans were too strong

Ottoman cannons spelled the End

the Ottoman Defenders prevailed

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